Our Days in Rukongai
by Lennox Case
Summary: SEIREITEI COMMUNICATIONS EXCLUSIVE! Witness the childhood of our beloved Lieutenant Hinamori and Captain Hitsugaya. Lt. Hinamori dedicates 20,000 words in this heart-wrenching interview. LONG-AWAITED SECRETS FINALLY REVEALED! See inside for more details.
1. Two Souls, One Collision

Our Days in Rukongai

Chapter 1

Two Souls, One Collision

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><p>"Hinamori, you're here!" happily exclaimed the lieutenant of the Ninth Squad as he eagerly slid open the door. As he did so, papers flew about behind him, hinting at the vivacious energy of the Ninth Squad editorial office.<p>

"Ah, hello, Hisagi-san," replied the lieutenant of the Fifth Squad. "You seem very busy today. Is it really alright for you to take the time to see me now?" She stepped inside and saw many fellow Soul Reapers at desks piled high with stacks of papers. They seemed too busy to notice anything but the work they were engrossed in as they typed away at computers and shouted on phones about deadlines.

"Nonsense, Hinamori," replied Hisagi as he led her to a separate office at the rear of the room. "You're doing _me_ a favor by letting me do this interview. You have no idea how much this will boost the popularity of _Seireitei Communications_."

"Well, I'm glad that I'm able to help," cheerfully replied Hinamori. "I'm just a little surprised that people are actually curious about something like this." She took a seat that Hisagi motioned to as he sat behind a large desk.

He placed his elbows on the surface cluttered with papers and rested his chin on his entwined hands. "Don't be so surprised. You and Captain Hitsugaya are popular amongst the Thirteen-Court Guard Squads." Hinamori looked away as if to hide a blush. Hisagi laughed. "Don't be embarrassed, Hinamori! We'll just take it slow, and don't worry about putting too many details either."

Hisagi took out a notepad with pre-written questions as well as a small voice recorder that he placed at the edge of the desk. "Alright, so let's start at the beginning."

Hinamori sat contemplating for a moment before looking up. "Our story begins a little before we met. You see, Hitsugaya-kun and I weren't always together." She closed her eyes as if she was seeing the past once again. "To me, I feel that our meeting was a miracle, although…" She opened her eyes and looked down at her hands, fidgeting with her fingers. "…although, the reason we met…was far from one."

* * *

><p>"Momo! Hey, Momo!"<p>

"Yes! What is it, Suzu?" called a young Momo Hinamori. To one in the World of the Living, she would look no older than the age of twleve. Nevertheless, in the hot summer sun in Jun'rinan, the first district of Rukongai, the girl wiped the sweat from her brow as she hauled a large bucket of water toward a small shack. A younger girl, who had called out previously, shot out the door and eagerly ran up to greet her.

"Momo, Momo!" Suzu yelled as she bounced about. "Help me do pigtails, just like yours!"

Momo smiled down as she caught her breath. "Sure thing, Suzu. Just let me get this water to Okita-san first."

"Ooh, I know! Let me help!" Suzu held onto the handle of the bucket, and well, that was all she did. Momo looked down and smiled. _How cute._

Upon entering the shack, a thin older woman holding an infant and having several more children tug at her kimono greeted her. "Welcome back, Momo," the woman said smilingly.

"Don't worry about it, Okita-san," Momo said, placing the water in the small kitchen. "Here, I'll take some of those kids off your hands."

"You are such a great help around here, Momo; I don't know what I would do without you," she said completely exasperated.

"Momo," whined Suzu. "What about my pigtails?"

"Oh, right. Hey Suzu, how about you help me gather those kids outside, and we'll get right on that."

"Okay!"

As Momo led the younger children out the door, she could not help but notice the setting sun. Although it was beautiful and shone with brilliant colors, it made Momo somewhat gloomy. _Another day already over… _

* * *

><p>Meanwhile, in the adjacent neighborhood, there was another who gazed at the sunset similarly.<p>

"Toushiro," called an elderly woman from inside a house. A young, white-haired boy looked over his shoulder; his eyes were dismal as he watched his grandmother walk out onto the deck he was sitting on. Although she was past her prime, the old woman looked healthy and full of life. Her good upbringing was further proven by her wisdom and compassionate personality. "Are you feeling down again today?"

He did not answer, but only continued to look at the disappearing sun. The old woman sat next to him and into the distance, she saw a small group of children running along the streets laughing and playing. She sighed. "Toushiro, you know that sitting here won't get you anywhere."

Toushiro pressed his legs to his chest and put his arms around them. "It's not like I haven't tried, Granny," he mumbled. She put her hand on his head and smoothed his hair. "Maybe I'm just not meant to fit in," he said turning his gaze to the children. "I don't even know what I really did, but people just seem to avoid me." He turned to her. "At least I have you, Granny; that's enough." Although he tried to reassure himself, Granny knew that in reality, it was a failed attempt.

"Toushiro, someday, you will find someone who will accept you for everything you are. Just keep your faith in people as well as yourself." Toushiro looked at his grandmother who looked at him with a smile. He smiled, too. Granny always knew the right thing to say; the only thing left was for him to believe it as well.

* * *

><p>"Momo, tell me a story," whispered Suzu. However, in this makeshift orphanage, a whisper spreads like wildfire. Suddenly, all the children in the small room were giddy with excitement.<p>

"Yeah, Momo, tell us one!"

"C'mon hurry and tell us a new one!"

Momo worriedly tried to hush the children, who she had painstakingly tried to put to bed. However, they were now jumping on each other's futons, trying to get closer to Momo's, which lie in the center of the room. "Alright, I'll tell you one. Just quiet down; you don't want to wake Okita-san."

Once the children had calmed down, Momo brainstormed for a story that she had not already told them before. "Hmm, this is going to be a bit tricky; I think I've told you all the stories I know."

"There has to be one. After all, you're old, so you must know a lot more," remarked a witty child.

"That not always true. And I'm not old! Most of you kids look more than half my age!" exclaimed Momo.

Suzu laughed. "Momo, we're supposed to be quiet, remember?" Then, all the others joined in the laugh as well.

Momo sighed amusedly. "Alright, alright. Settle down, all of you." She put her finger to her chin and then perked up. "Oh, I remember this old tale my—um—my…err."

"Your mother?" asked Suzu.

"Uh, well, maybe." Momo thought hard about who told her the story, but it was of no use. "I guess my memories didn't really stay when I came to the Soul Society."

"But you're lucky you remembered something at all," assured Suzu. "Most of us don't remember anything." Momo stared at the little girl like she had just told her the orphanage was on fire. Momo was relatively new to the Soul Society compared to most of the children. That most likely meant that they died before she was even born as life in the Soul Society was greatly extended. What surprised her the most, however, was that when she first awoke on the streets of Rukongai, she was not even bothered by her lack of memories. She remembered her name, but everything else was mostly a blur. Perhaps she did not have parents in her past life like in her new one. Either way, Momo felt eternally grateful to Okita-san for taking her in. She knew that she could make a home for herself here, however, why did she feel that she did not quite fit in?

"Momo," inquired Suzu. "Are you okay?"

"Huh?" said Momo, snapping out of her thoughts. "Oh, I'm fine. Sorry, let's get to that story now. You all have to go to bed soon." She cleared her throat. "Now, this story is a legend that has been around for many, many centuries. It describes a heavenly guardian that reined the skies."

"Was it a scary person?"

"No, just the opposite. This being protected the people on land while he watched from the skies on his flying dragon made of ice and snow."

"Wow, that sounds cool! Was he really strong?"

"Of course. It was said that he was so strong that he even had the ability to control the weather. However, he never flaunted his power; he didn't want to upset the other gods. And so, he ended up being alone for many centuries."

"Was there really no one who wanted to be his friend?"

"Unfortunately, none of the gods wanted to get to know him out of jealousy. And the people that looked up to him were either too afraid to speak to a god, or they had no way of flying to the heavens themselves. However, there was a fire spirit that lived on land who wanted to thank this heavenly guardian for protecting the fiery mountains. You see, this spirit had the ability to turn into a fire bird, so she could visit the heavenly guardian whenever she wished."

"And they became friends?"

"Actually, it was much harder than that because by the time the fire spirit flew up to the heavens, the heavenly guardian was nowhere to be found. As it turned out, the heavenly guardian was so used to being alone that he avoided any contact at all. But the fire spirit never gave up. She searched throughout the skies and after years of searching, she finally found him. With time, the heavenly guardian opened up to the fire spirit and they shared a bond so strong that not even heaven could break it.

"However, this eventually caught the eyes of the gods. After all, it was forbidden for ice and fire to coexist for they would eventually destroy each other in the end. The gods knew that to prevent such chaos, one or the other must be destroyed. But the heavenly guardian was too strong, so all eyes turned to the fire spirit. The fire spirit fled as fast and as far as she could, but as she was only a spirit, she was outmatched by the gods. Just before she was about to be destroyed, the heavenly guardian sent a great storm like one never seen before and unleashed it upon the land. The gods were defeated and fled, and afterwards, the land was at peace again.

"The heavenly guardian searched far and wide for the fire spirit, but she did not appear. Finally, he found her, but she was barely recognizable for by that time, she was a mere flame. It was then that the heavenly guardian realized that this had happened because of his storm. Just before the fire spirit extinguished, she thanked the heavenly guardian for everything he had done for her and that she was happy that she was the one to die instead of him. With that, she disappeared and left behind nothing but ash and a broken heart.

"The heavenly guardian could not be pacified. The turmoil in his heart was too much to bear, and he wanted to do nothing but cause a great flood that would engulf the land. However, that would mean destroying everything that the fire spirit had held dear. Instead the heavenly guardian flew; he flew as far as his wings could take him. Without looking back, he went straight for the sun, hoping he would someday see the fire spirit again.

"Now, do you remember what I said about the bond between the heavenly guardian and the fire spirit? It was so strong and so deep that time and space could not affect it. It is said that every few centuries, the heavenly guardian and the fire spirit would be reincarnated and would find each other once again."

Momo looked around her and found that most of the children were in deep sleep. She sighed a sigh of relief and was about to lie down as well when she heard sobbing behind her. She turned over and saw Suzu with tears streaming down her face.

"Ah, I'm so sorry, Suzu. I didn't mean to make you cry," Momo said nervously.

Ignoring Momo's attempt at conciliation, Suzu tried to quiet her sobs in order to speak. "W-why did the fire spirit have to die? The heavenly guardian w-was just trying to protect her…"

Momo put her arms around Suzu and tucked her head under her chin. "I'm sure the fire spirit knew that, but she didn't want him to get hurt. That's why she fled on her own so that he wouldn't have to fight."

"B-but he was so much stronger. Why couldn't she just let him fight? Then, they both could have lived," said Suzu as her sobs got quieter. Momo broke their embrace and looked Suzu in the eye.

"That's what happens when you love someone. You want to protect them no matter what," assured Momo. "And if the legend holds true, then they will be together forever."

"Okay," sniffed Suzu. "Just as long as it's forever."

Momo laughed. "Alright, now time for bed."

* * *

><p>The next morning, Momo awoke earlier than the rest of the children. She quietly tiptoed to the kitchen to find Okita-san sitting at the table watching the sun rise.<p>

"Good morning, Okita-san."

"Momo, you're up early."

"Yes, well, I couldn't sleep that well." Last night was the first time that Momo could ever remember reciting that story. For some reason, it stuck in her mind more profoundly than before.

"Well, I hope that everything is alright."

"Oh, it is! I just had a weird dream, but it's nothing to worry about."

Okita-san smiled and turned to look out the window once again. Momo joined her and they sat in silence until the entire sun was exposed. Then, Okita-san turned to her. "Momo, you know that you can tell me anything if something is wrong."

Momo looked at her slightly surprised. _Have I been that obvious?_ "How did you know?"

Okita-san chuckled. "Momo, I may not be a real mother, but I have the instincts of one. I can tell when one of my kids is feeling down."

Momo smiled, knowing that the warmth she was feeling now was not just from the sun. She looked out the window and decided to finally express what has been on her mind. "It's just that sometimes at the end of the day, I feel that I haven't made such a great impact on anything. Like I don't quite fit in so it's hard to put my heart completely into something. Ah, I mean, I love it here, Okita-san. I'm so thankful that you took me in and I love living with everyone, too…it's just that…umm…well…

"…that you're missing something,"Okita-san finished. "In here," she said as she rested her hand over her heart.

"Yes," Momo said, although she sounded somewhat surprised.

Okita-san reached out for Momo's hand and held it. "Momo, I am so happy that you're here, too, and I am eternally grateful for everything you do for us; but I don't want to see you sad either. I'm not saying that I want you gone, but if you feel that there's something out there calling for you, then I want you to go and find it. But I will leave this as your decision. I love you, Momo."

Momo felt like crying and she did so after seeing Okita-san's eyes tearing up as well. "I love you, too, Okita-san. Thank you."

* * *

><p>After Okita-san left to check on the infant in her room, Momo decided to change from her sleepwear to start the morning chores. However, as soon as she turned the corner, she spotted a small pigtailed bundle crouched on the ground.<p>

"Suzu," Momo said as she knelt down in front of her. Suzu had her head down in her arms and refused to look up. "What's the matter?"

"Are you going to leave?"

Momo was shocked. "You heard that?"

Suzu looked up; her eyes were already red. "I heard. Do you not like us anymore, Momo?"

"No, of course not! I love being here and I love all of you, too."

"But you're still going to leave."

"I—I don't know yet, Suzu. But as of right now, I want to stay here. I don't know the time yet when I feel that I have to leave."

"But you don't have to leave; you're always welcome here!"

"I know that. But when you get older, there will come a time when you feel that you were meant for more."

Suzu stood up, and by doing so, she became taller than Momo. "Alright, but I hope that time for you is far away from now." Momo smiled, surprised at how mature Suzu has become.

"Thanks, Suzu. Well, I have to go get changed to gather the water. See me off at the door?"

"Okay."

After Momo finished changing, she went to the door to find Suzu already holding out the empty water bucket with a smile on her face.

"Here, Momo."

"Thanks, Suzu. You be safe, and watch the other kids while I'm gone."

Momo was already a ways down the road when Suzu called out to her from the doorway. "And you be safe, too, Momo! I pray that the heavenly guardian will watch over you."

Before Momo could turn around and ask her what she meant, Suzu was already gone.

* * *

><p>The hot midday sun was high in the sky when Momo was nearing the orphanage. She found it strange that the closer she got to her neighborhood, the quieter it became. <em>Maybe there was a sale at the market or something.<em> However, with every step, the eerie atmosphere grew more and more. No people, no voices. Even the stray animals found everyday on the street were gone. Her heart was pounding now from the suspense. _What is going on?_ Finally, her greatest fears were answered when she turned the corner.

Houses were toppled like dominoes down the street on which she lived. Momo's eyes grew wide in horror as she saw people sprawled on the ground, or at least, what used to be people. She dropped the water bucket, all that morning's effort gone to waste. But the only thing on Momo's mind was the orphanage, and so she ran as fast as she could toward her home. She tripped and slid on the dirt ground. She looked behind to see what it was and stamped into the ground was a large footprint with four-pronged toes, almost the size of her body. But Momo did not have time to think about that right now; she continued running past destroyed houses, corpses, and unknown footprints which seemed to be following and leading her at the same time.

Momo could barely focus on anything; her mind was going rampant. At last, she reached her destination. Tears streamed down her face as what was once the orphanage was now a pile of rubble with large pieces of wood jutting out in every direction. However, Momo refused to just stand there. Immediately, she dove into the ruins to try to salvage whoever she could. She managed to climb and crawl beneath several rafters all the while calling the names of the children that once lived there. Still, there was no answer. Momo's vision was getting cloudy and she didn't know if the debris or her tears were to blame.

"Okita-san!" cried Hinamori. "Suzu!" She was slowly losing her voice now. "Anybody…" she whimpered.

"Mo…mo…"

Momo jerked her head toward the direction of the noise. "Suzu?" she screamed. Momo tuned over piles of wood carelessly and eventually she saw an arm, then a head. It was Suzu. Her head was bleeding profusely and the rest of her body remained covered with rubble. "No…" Momo gasped. "Don't worry; I'll get you out, Suzu!"

"Momo…" whispered Suzu as she slowly reached up. "Run…" Then, her arm fell limp to the ground.

Momo froze. "Suzu…Suzu!" she shrieked.

Just then, Momo heard a loud crash from behind her. She turned her head to gaze upon a creature with a large disfigured body. It had a skull with two tusks for a head and a large hole in the middle of its maroon-colored chest, yet is was still moving. _What is that?_ Before Momo could think of running away, the large beast raised one of its huge arms and swiftly brought it down.

* * *

><p>Toushiro was exhausted. Today was supposed to be a relaxing day. He would just sit, watch the neighborhood children play, watch the sun go down, and eat candied beans that his grandmother would make. However, this day was far from it.<p>

Before noon that day, a great clamor grew louder in the neighborhood within a matter of seconds. Toushiro could not make out any of the words, but it sounded like shouts and cries of pain. He slid open the door of his house and saw hoards of people, some of which were on stretchers though they appeared to have minor injuries. He heard his grandmother calling further inside the house, but after no answer, she came to the front to see what the matter was. When she appeared in the doorway, the men carrying the stretchers walked swiftly toward the house, apparently recognizing her face.

"Hitsugaya-san, there was a Hollow-attack in the adjacent neighborhood; many are injured. Can you treat them?" Toshiro's grandmother was a healer, perhaps the most renowned healer in Jun'rinan. She beckoned them in immediately, calling Toushiro to heat some water and fetch her medicinal box.

Now, he got understood. He knew why only those with nonfatal injuries appeared here. It was because those who had anything worse were more than dead already. That was what happens in a Hollow-attack. _Weren't those Soul Reapers supposed to take care of those damned Hollows?_

So the rest of Toushiro's day consisted of him heating water, cleaning the cuts of the many patients they received, and running around answering Granny's every beck and call. Finally, at the end of the day, he was allowed a moment of reprieve; however, it was short-lived as there was a fierce knocking at the door for the umpteenth time that day. What was strange though was that most of the calls happened near noon; he found it hard to believe it could be another patient.

Granny sped to the door. "Another? What are the injuries? Hurry and bring them inside." It was times like these that Toushiro's sweet grandmother changed to someone who was completely focused on her job and almost nothing else. He admired her for that.

Two men stepped inside followed by a third, who was carrying a small bundle in his arms. "This is our last," said one of the first two men. "We didn't find any other survivors within the area. Poor thing has been buried in the rubble for almost half a day." Granny opened the blanket that wrapped the small object. Toushiro's eyes widened at what he saw. Inside, was a small girl, who was around his age. Sure she had cuts and bruises all over her face, but what shocked him the most were her eyes. They were wide open, but there was no life within them.

It was like she was already dead.


	2. Nicknames

**Thank you for the reviews.** **-****Lennox Case**

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><p><strong>Our Days in Rukongai<strong>

_Chapter 2_

Nicknames

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><p>"Hinamori, are you alright?" asked a worried Hisagi. Hinamori had been silent for a long moment after recounting what had happened to her on the day of the Hollow-attack in Jun'rinan. Hisagi had to lean in closer and repeat himself in order to get her attention.<p>

Hinamori jerked her head up. "Oh! I'm so sorry. Umm…I—"

"It's okay, Hinamori. We don't have to rush. We'll take a break." He could see tears forming at the base of her eyes. "Here, I'll go get you some water." Before Hinamori could respond, Hisagi had already rushed out the door.

After Hinamori, had finished gulping down the water, she looked back at Hisagi with her usual smile. "I'm sorry about that, Hisagi-san. I'm feeling much better now. Thank you."

Hisagi knew that smile was less than genuine, but still, Hinamori prompted him to continue. "Alright, Hinamori, uh, if you don't mind me asking, how was it that you managed to survive underneath the wreckage? I mean had your spiritual pressure developed at such an early age?"

"Honestly, I'm not too sure myself; everything was a blur at that point. I just remember the Hollow and being pulled out of the rubble. Next thing I knew, I was at Hitsugaya-kun's house." She tried to recall any other details, but the only thing that echoed in her head was the last sentence she heard before she left home.

"_I pray that the heavenly guardian will watch over you!"_

* * *

><p>Toushiro heard a light rustling of blankets behind him as well as his grandmother's pacing on the hardwood floor. "<em>Sssh<em>. It's alright," she coaxed. "Let's get you cleaned up first."

Although Toushiro lie in bed and faced away, he knew what was happening. _Tonight again, too? _

It has been several days since the Hollow-attack in Jun'rinan, and there were many casualties in the adjacent neighborhood. It came as a shock to the inhabitants as Hollows were not common in the district closest to the Seireitei. The infamous Thirteen-Court Guard Squads were apparently lacking in organization. Regardless, though there were not many survivors, most of them were currently recovering at the Hitsugaya residence since Toushiro's grandmother was a healer. Even though Toushiro helped his grandmother and saw varying degrees of injuries, the thing that put him on edge was the last patient delivered to his house. She was a young girl, not much older than he was. After a few days, the girl's physical injuries healed, which was a quicker recovery than any of the other patients. He only knew of another who healed that quickly, and that was himself. However, it was her behavior that assured him that she was far from alright for the scars in her heart had left her mute and with soulless eyes.

Toushiro's grandmother decided to move her from the patients' ward attached to the house and let her stay in the same room in which both she and her grandson slept. She knew that for her to continue being exposed to a sickbay would prove to be more detrimental to the young girl's health. Every night, the three would sleep in the same room, and every night, Toushiro and Granny would awaken to the whimpers and screams of the young girl. Not only that, but she would also have accidents in the middle of the night prompting her to then share a futon with Granny as all the other futons were in use by the patients.

Tonight however, Granny had loaned her futon to the frantic wife of one of her patients, whose wound had reopened shortly after returning home. Being as dedicated as she was, Granny would not let sleep bother her as she planned to dedicate the rest of the night to making sure the wound would never open again. Meanwhile, the patient's wife was granted her wish and was allowed to stay near her husband throughout the night. Granny had come in when she heard the screams of the girl back in the house. After she had taken care of her, Toushiro thought that he would finally be able to sleep in peace.

Wrong.

"Toushiro, please share your bed with her for the night."

Toushiro's bloodshot eyes snapped open. "What?" he said a little too loudly. He sat up now, and looked at the two women standing beside him. One was frightened from his shout while the other gave him a scolding look. He bit back his tongue; he knew full well that arguing with Granny was pointless. He also could not see another way around this situation. Either way, after Granny had returned to the ward, he was left at the edge of his futon, putting as much distance between him and the girl as possible; the reason being that he had never before been within such close proximity of another person besides his grandmother.

Aside from Granny, Toushiro trusted no one. He refused to turn his back to the girl let alone close his eyes, so there he remained like a statue glaring at the back of the girl's head. He imagined that it would have been infinitely more awkward if she were to face toward him, so he was at least thankful for that. _Granny, should have known that this would make it impossible for me to sleep. This person is weird enough already. She doesn't even speak, so it's not like we can tell what kind of person she is. I just hope she doesn't wet the bed again tonight._ Toushiro's scowl further deepened. _Okay, stop! I'm just making this worse. I just hope that she doesn't turn—_

Suddenly, a shifting of the blanket told him otherwise. Once there was silence again, the two were left staring back into each other's sleep-deprived, yet dazed eyes. _Damn._

After several moments of stillness, Toushiro became increasingly irritated with the situation and decided to get himself out of bed. _Tsk. Neither of us are going to get any sleep tonight anyway. _However, as he was backing away, a hand shot out and gripped tightly on the front of his shirt. Toushiro's eyes widened in absolute shock. He could not even process what was happening as physical contact with a person other than Granny made him very uncomfortable. He grabbed her wrist tightly and was about to yank it off when he caught the fear in her dark eyes.

As for Momo, she did not quite know what she was doing either. When she had seen the boy begin to leave, she instantaneously reached out for him without even thinking about it. Over the past few days, Momo's mind had wandered in the present as what had happened to her and the orphanage still ate away at her. She knew of the old lady that had cared for her even when she had her nightly accidents. She also aware that there was a boy, a little younger than she was, that helped out the old lady. Her mind was too overburdened to pay any heed to him; however, in the past few moments, she was astounded at his vibrant, teal eyes. That and his white hair brought to mind something of legend though she could not imagine how she came to the connection in the first place. _The heavenly guardian…_

* * *

><p>"Wake up, Toushiro!" chimed Granny from the kitchen. "Your breakfast will get cold."<p>

Toushiro woke with a start and found that he was the only one in his bed. He had begun to think that the previous night was a dream when he suddenly became aware of his body positioning. He was at the edge of the futon, lying on his side, and his arm was sprawled out toward the other end as if reaching for something. _No way…_

He sat up, put his hand to his head, and tried to rethink the details of what happened; but at that moment, the dark-eyed girl walked into the room. They stared at each other for a while until the girl ran into the kitchen, but not before turning her head away as if to hide her embarrassment. Toushiro's jaw dropped as his eyes watched her leave. Suddenly, everything came back to him. Last night, after the girl had grabbed him, he was about to push her away when the expression in her eyes made him stop. _But, why? What should I care?_ But then, he remembered waiting for her to fall asleep; he was still grasping her wrist during then. That was the last thing he could remember. _Did I…did I fall asleep like that?_

Toushiro felt a blush creep onto his face. _This is so embarrassing! Well, at least she'll be out of here soon._

* * *

><p>"I was hoping you two could do me a favor," said Granny as she cleared the table. "Could you go out to the market today and buy watermelon? Your Granny needs a bit more sleep after that restless night."<p>

_Yeah, tell me about it, Granny…_ Toushiro felt the dark circles pull at his eyes as he stared at his grandmother. At least now everyone in this house looked more or less the same.

After, Granny handed Toushiro the money and urged the two children out the door, he could not help but feel something was not right. When he and the girl got to the front of the house, her turned to her. "Hey, you go wait for me at the front gate; I'll be right there." Toushiro made sure she was out of ear's reach before returning to his grandmother.

"Toushiro, that was quick."

"Granny, how long is that girl going to stay here?" Granny stared her grandson, somewhat surprised at his sudden straightforwardness. She sighed, her eyes downcast.

"You're so perceptive as usual." She looked him straight in the eye, meaning that she was about to tell him something important. "Toushiro, the day that girl first got here, one of the men who brought her in recognized her. He said she was part of an orphanage that had been destroyed; there were no survivors." Toushiro held a breath. He could not imagine losing everything in one moment; to him, that would be like losing Granny. He had a feeling he knew what she was going to say next, but still, something did not sit quite right with him. "After all that, the poor girl has lost even the ability to speak, so how could I possibly turn her away?"

Toushiro looked down and clenched his fist. He did not know why he was so upset. Was it because of what happened to that girl, or was it because of the sudden change in his everyday life? Perhaps both. "Granny, does she know about this?" he asked, looking up.

Granny nodded. "She has known. That is why I would like you two to spend some time together. It may be good for the both of you."

* * *

><p>Toushiro walked along the dirt path that led to the nearby market with his hands tucked behind his head. Behind him, he heard the light tread of the girl, who was a ways behind him. Groaning, he turned around. "Why are you so slow? Get up here; it's creepy with you as my shadow."<p>

The girl stopped for a moment, stunned, before running up beside him. They walked side by side without speaking until Toushiro broke the silence. "So, Granny says you're going to be living with us." He kept his eyes forward but noticed when the girl looked at him somewhat scared like she was asking him something. "What? It's not like I care or anything. It's you I'm wondering about; so, do _you_ mind?" She relaxed a bit but looked at him questioningly before shaking her head.

"Well, then I guess I should know your name." She stopped walking and after a few more paces, so did he. He looked back at her to find that she was staring at the ground. _Is she still refusing to speak?_ He walked back to her, slightly annoyed. "You _do_ have one, right? Because if you won't tell me, then I'm just going to have to give you one myself." Before she put up her hands up in refusal, he answered for her.

"How about Bed-wetter?"

The girl stood there with her mouth agape. Toushiro snickered at her reaction, and before she knew it, she felt like laughing, too. She covered her mouth with her hand almost curled into a fist, a unique mannerism of hers, and tried to suppress the sound. However, unbeknownst to her, a small smile was forming on her face which caught Toushiro's attention. He was genuinely surprised at this, not realizing that he was staring at her for too long. She gave yet another questioning look, which snapped him out of his stupor.

"W-what? N-nothing's wrong! Let's just go and get that watermelon quick, Bed-wetter," he said turning and pacing back toward the market. _This girl is just full of surprises…_

The market was bustling with so many people that it was almost hard to believe that the Hollow-attack occurred less than a week ago. Momo followed the white-haired boy to stalls that showcased a large arrangement of spherical, green fruit. She looked from the fruit to the boy as he tapped a selection to check their wholeness. He caught her staring and momentarily paused his actions.

"Have you ever had watermelon?"

Momo felt somewhat embarrassed at this. She had seen this fruit before in her neighborhood, but the orphanage had never been fortunate enough to afford one. Rather than answering, she looked away. Momo could not find the courage to even speak a word; she felt completely helpless. Just as she was unable to help anyone at the orphanage, she could not find the strength to speak. The boy in front of her went back to his prior engagement and seemed to have already gotten used to her behavior, albeit somewhat irritatedly. Momo was thankful toward him as well as his grandmother. They had shown her kindness and other than that, they had allowed her to stay with them indefinitely. When the old lady had informed her of this, she was stunned; yet, she could not even say her thanks. Nevertheless, the old lady had welcomed her and told her that things would settle in time.

"Hey, you ready?" asked the boy as Momo was brought back to reality. "I got one; we can go."

As Momo followed him out of the marketplace, she began to daydream. So far, things have been looking up. At first glance, she thought that the white-haired boy wanted nothing to do with her. However, this morning when she woke to find him holding her wrist, her opinion of him had begun to change. Even afterward when they were walking to the market, she had even found herself laughing. Perhaps her new life here would not be so bad.

All of a sudden, Momo felt herself being pushed down until her knees slammed into the dirt. She looked up bewildered and found two older boys on both sides of her; each had a hand on her shoulder to keep her down and a hand on her arm to keep her from struggling.

"Bed-wetter!" Momo looked forward and saw the white-haired boy in a similar position except his face was being pressed into the ground.

"Bed-wetter?" sneered one of the boys next to her. "That's your name? How stupid," he laughed as he yanked at her hair. Momo clenched her teeth as she was being forcefully dragged upwards. "Hurry up," he called to the other boys. "That's the healer's grandson; take whatever he has!"

Momo looked on in horror as two boys proceeded to kick him in the side while another sifted through his pockets. However, the white-haired boy continued to look at her. "Let her go!" he yelled.

Momo could not understand why all his attention was directed toward her. _Why are you worrying about me? Especially when you're in that state! What are you thinking?_ She felt herself tearing up and she knew it was not just from the pain of being pulled by her hair.

"Dammit! I said to let her go!" Suddenly, the white-haired boy pushed himself up and rammed into the torso of the boy that held him down, toppling him over. He then turned and punched a second in the jaw and elbowed another in the nose. It all happened so fast that Momo as well as the boys holding her down could only stare. After a moment, one of boys next to her sprinted to the scene in front of them; but, he had not been seen by the white-haired boy who was busy fending off the others.

_He's coming from behind! Turn around, please!_ Momo opened her mouth but could only mouth the words. _Come on_, she told herself. She saw the boy right behind him now. _He's going to get hurt!_

"Behind you!"

The white-haired boy turned around, dodged the hook punch, and returned with an upset punch to the other boy's gut. However, he was suddenly grabbed by the three other boys he had previously dealt with. Momo tried to free herself when she felt the boy who was restraining her fly forward into the ground.

"Why don't you fight someone your own size, like me?" Momo looked behind her and saw a slightly older boy with red hair pulled back in spiked ponytail. "Are you okay?" he asked her as he helped her to her feet. "Just give me a sec; I'll go help your friend there." The red-haired boy jumped into the brawl and together with the white-haired boy, they managed to leave their assaulters running with their tail between their legs.

Toushiro stood back to back with the boy that came to his aid as they watched the group of boys disappear down the road. After he caught his breath, he turned around and his hand instinctively reached up to catch something. It was the small pouch of money his grandmother had given him earlier that day.

"Thought that was yours." He did not recognize this red-haired boy, but from his eyes, he looked like his expertise was the streets. _He looks like he's from a different district._ Toushiro looked over at the dark-eyed girl. Although she had scrapes on her knees and her hair was down instead of in her usual pigtails, she looked mostly unharmed.

"Thanks…for that," he said while looking at her. The red-haired boy followed his gaze.

"No problem. Those bastards will jump anyone."

"_Nngh_…" Suddenly, Toushiro felt a sharp pain on the side of his face and felt warm liquid steadily trickle down.

"Woah, you okay, kid?"

"Who're you calling ki—" Toushiro felt a hand on his cheek and was surprised to see that it was the dark-eyed girl. She futilely tried to stop the bleeding, and she looked more terrified than he had ever seen her before. _Why are you crying? It's not like I'm going to die from this… idiot._ For some reason he did not flinch at her contact, which was unusual for him. Instead, he held her wrist like he had done before and looked her straight in the eye to tell her that everything was going to be alright.

"Erm…"

Toushiro felt his face heat up, and he did not have to turn his head to know that the red-haired boy felt just as awkward as he did. "Well, you two look more than alright…so I'll leave you guys alone." He laughed uneasily and sped down the street.

The pair could only look on, not even thinking about the possibility of meeting the red-haired boy again.

* * *

><p>"Ow…Damn, that hurts more than I thought," said the white-haired boy while sitting on the deck of his house.<p>

Momo held the warm towel against the boy's face and dabbed lightly at the cut that ran vertically down his cheek. Fortunately, it was already beginning to close up. Momo felt so guilty; it was her fault that he got hurt. Her only source of comfort was that this boy seemed to heal quickly though he could have probably escaped unscathed if he had not tried to go rescue her.

"This wasn't your fault," he said looking at her. Momo could not understand how this boy always managed to know what she was thinking, like he could read her thoughts. "At least we still got the watermelon." He took one of the slices his grandmother had prepared and handed it to her. "You've never tried it before, right?"

Momo placed down the cloth and stared at the vibrant, red fruit in her hands. She took a bite and was immediately overcome with the sweet flavor. She had never tasted anything more delicious in her life, and she did not bother to hide her delight. The boy smiled and then proceeded to look out toward the setting sun.

"…Thanks…for helping me earlier," he said almost inaudibly. Momo was caught off guard and leaned forward to try to understand his words. "I mean, your voice. If you hadn't called out, I might've gotten hurt pretty bad."

Momo could not believe her ears. She completely forgot that she had done that. She had only been thinking that it was the boy who had saved her, but here he was, thanking _her_. This boy did not even see her as a burden in the least, so perhaps she was more useful than she gave herself credit for. Momo felt a wave of relief at that point, and was once again on the verge of tears for the second time that day.

"Uh, I—I didn't mean that you have to keep on talking. Don't force yourself to—"

"Momo Hinamori."

"—do something you don't…huh?"

The white-haired boy spun around so quickly that Momo nearly dropped the watermelon from her hands. She was not completely sure why she said her name, but at this time and place, she finally felt safe.

The two stared at each other in silence for a moment until the white-haired boy looked forward again. "So…Bed-wetter has a name after all. My name is Toushiro Hitsugaya. And you don't have to worry about those guys coming back because…I'll protect you. I promise." He looked away as he said the last part.

Momo continued to stare at Toushiro in surprise. She could not believe how much responsibility he took on for himself despite his young age. He reminded her a little of herself. "Thanks...Shiro-chan," she said as she reached out to rustle his hair.

"S-shiro!" he exclaimed, turning to her. She laughed. Now, they both had nicknames.

* * *

><p>On that day, the two who had once despised the sunset, happily watched it side by side. The boy without friends found someone who accepted him for who he was, and the girl who did not belong finally found somewhere to call home.<p> 


	3. Footprints in the Snow

.

* * *

><p><strong>Our Days in Rukongai<strong>

_Chapter 3_

Footprints in the Snow

* * *

><p>"No way, Ah-chan!" laughed Momo.<p>

Toushiro watched from the house as he saw Momo talk candidly with the neighbors, Ayumi and Tatsukichi. It has been four months since she appeared at his doorstep practically like a soulless shell; but now, she was the liveliest girl he had ever seen. No one was happier for her than he was, however, he could not help but feel somewhat uneasy. For as long as Toushiro could remember, the children in the neighborhood had avoided him; even the adults looked at him differently. He had only hoped that they would not treat Momo in the same way for being so close to him. He saw Momo beckoning him to come over, much to the neighbors' chagrin.

"Shiro-chan! Come over here!"

"It's too cold, idiot!"

"Momo-chan," said Ayumi. "What are you doing?"

"Huh?" Momo gave Ayumi a questioning look. "Oh, I thought Shiro-chan looked a little bored so…Oh, I know! Why don't we go back to the house? Then, we can all—"

"I'm not so sure, Momo," replied Tatsukichi. "Our parents told us not to…um…"

"Not to what?" said Momo a little sternly.

"…not to get too close to him," finished Ayumi. Before Momo could retort, Ayumi changed the topic. "How about you come over to our house instead?"

"No, that's alright," Momo said as politely as possible. "I'm going to head back now. See you around, Ah-chan, Te-chan."

Momo practically stomped back to the house; she could not believe what she heard. To this day, she could not understand what it was that made people avoid Toushiro. She heard people call him "cold as ice", and honestly, she wanted to give them a piece of her mind; but, she knew that would just cause embarrassment for him as well as Granny. After she climbed on top of the deck, she slumped down next to Toushiro, who continued to watch the falling leaves in the front yard.

"What's wrong? You look like you're constipated."

"Very funny, Shiro-chan."

"Oi, when are you going to stop calling me that, Bed-wetter Momo?" he snickered.

Momo gasped and turned to him. "I don't do that anymore!" She reached over to tousle his hair, but he blocked her arm and continued laughing. Though he could act like a brat at times, to Momo, he was her best friend. _If they took the chance to get to know him, then they would definitely want to be his friends, too._

* * *

><p>"That must've been hard for you and Captain Hitsugaya," said Hisagi.<p>

"Yes, well," said Hinamori. "We managed to be just fine for the most part. But things are different now. How's he's grown and all the people he has met have really made him become a better person." Hinamori sat quietly for a moment and contemplated; Hisagi did not seem to mind in the least. Rather he smiled warmly, happy to know that Hitsugaya and Hinamori had each other as a refuge.

"Oh, sorry I keep daydreaming," jumped Hinamori. "Um, around this time was Hitsugaya-kun's birthday…"

* * *

><p>"Shiro-chan!" yelled Momo.<p>

"W-what?"

"Granny just told me your birthday was in less than a week! Why didn't you tell me?"

"What's it to you?" he asked with surprise.

"Wha—what do you mean? Now, I don't have enough time to plan what to get you for your birthday!" Toushiro watched Momo go back and forth within the house gathering a shawl and the pouch Granny gave her, in which she kept her allowance. "I'm going to the market for a bit. Be back soon!"

"Wait, Momo! You don't—"

However, she had already run past him and was nearing front gate.

* * *

><p>The walk to the market was less than enjoyable as Momo was forced to trudge through snow in parts of the road that were not cleared out. <em>This was a stupid idea<em>, she thought while heaving her leg out of a heap of snow. _It's freezing! And what if I don't find anything?_

"I hate winter," Momo groaned. "I can't wait until summer comes along again."

Momo spent such a long time trying to find something suitable for a present that it was already getting dark out. She sighed and looked down at the small package in her hand. _All I could manage to find was this lousy spinning top. Who knows if he'll even like it? _She passed the village shrine, but was suddenly captivated by the line of lanterns that ran from the shrine down to the village as far as the eye could see. She made her way down the steps and found several stands being constructed.

"Excuse me," Momo asked one of the workers. "What are these stalls for?"

"You mean, you don't know?" replied the man. "It's the winter festival. It's coming in three days."

Momo pondered for a moment. _That's Shiro-chan's birthday. I wonder if he would want to come here._

* * *

><p>"Took you look enough," said Toushiro as he watched Momo enter and stomp the snow from her shoes. "Find what you were looking for?"<p>

"Well, I looked all over the place, but I—" Suddenly, Momo remembered the winter festival. _I might be able to get something better for him there. _"Uh, I…didn't find anything."

"That's good," he said nonchalantly.

"Wha—what do you mean?" Momo was slightly angry now. He did not know how much snow she had to waddle through to just get a simple present, which she deemed not good enough.

"I mean," he said turning to her. "I don't need anything. You don't have to waste your effort to get something that's not needed."

_Not needed…? Was what I was trying to do really nothing to him?_ Momo grew infuriated. "Well, if that's how it looks to you, Shiro-chan…" She turned and walked away without a word.

Toushiro watched her go; then, he turned back to look out at the dark, thundering sky. _Dammit…_

* * *

><p>Over the next three days, Momo and Toushiro barely said a word to each other; but on the day of his birthday, Momo thought it was about time they ended their silly quarrel.<p>

"Happy Birthday, Shiro-chan."

"Ah. Thanks." He was looking out from the deck again while she walked onto it already covered in bundles of clothing.

"The winter festival started today. I was going to go there to find—I mean—to check it out. Did you want to come with me?"

"…No. I'm going to stay here."

Momo looked at him for a moment, but climbed off the deck and walked toward the front gate. _He's still mad, huh?_

"Momo, come back before the sun sets."

"Huh?" But before Momo could turn around, Toushiro had already gone back inside.

* * *

><p>"Wow," Momo said aloud. It was still early afternoon, but the village was packed. She could only imagine what it would be like in the evening. All around her she heard traditional music, smelled various foods she could not name, and saw people dressed in their best kimonos.<p>

"There's so much to do…but, I came here for Shiro-chan's present," said Momo, forcing herself to turn away from a taiyaki stand. She continued to walk through the crowd and found toy stands that sold kendama, den den daiko, and oni-masks. None of them, however, seemed to suit Toushiro. _Argh, I still can't find anything! Okay, Momo, this is no time to be picky._

"Momo-chan!" Momo turned around; it was none other than Ayumi and Tatsukichi.

"Ah-chan! Te-chan! You're here, too?"

"Oh course, Momo," said Ayumi happily. "It's the opening day of the festival!"

"Are you here alone?" asked Tatsukichi. "Where's your grandmother and brother?"

Momo blinked. "Brother?" she asked. "Are you talking about Shiro-chan? But I don't—"

"Obviously, they not here, Tatsu," interrupted Ayumi. "Momo-chan, why don't you hang out with us?"

"Ah, I don't know. I still have to—"

"C'mon! Just for a little!"

Momo looked at the sky. The sun was still completely visible, which meant that she still had a couple hours before it set. There would still be enough time to find a present. "Well, alright. I've never been to a festival before." Ayumi and Tatsukichi took Momo to practically every stand they saw. She tried new kinds of food like takoyaki and mitarashi dango and, afterwards, went to visit the shrine at the top.

"That was so much fun! Thanks for showing me around Ah-chan, Te-chan."

"No problem, Momo-chan," replied Ayumi. "Hey, let's get a good place to stand to see the fireworks."

"Fireworks?" Momo gasped and looked out to the sun; the only problem was that it was nowhere to be seen. "It's already this late!"

She ran past Ayumi to the steps. "Wait, Momo-chan! Don't you want to see the fireworks? You said you've never seen them before."

Nevertheless, Momo sprinted down the stone steps of the shrine ignoring Ayumi and Tatsukichi's requests. _I can't believe I let this happen! Shiro-chan told me to get there before sunset, but…I just keep ruining things… _She ran as fast as she could back to the house, disregarding the snow that seeped into her shoes. Barely taking the time to catch her breath, she ran even faster as she saw the roof of the house. To her dismay, she saw Toushiro sitting outside. _How long had he been waiting?_

"Shiro-chan!"

"Momo, why do you look so tired?"

"I ran…back," she said between breaths. "I'm so sorry I got here late."

"Sorry? I think you got here just in time."

"Huh?" For what?" Suddenly, Momo heard what sounded like explosions behind her. "Wha—? What's going on?"

"Relax," Toushiro laughed. "Is this the first time you've seen fireworks?"

Momo turned and saw brilliant sparks of red, orange and green. They looked like flowers whose petals grew and wilted away in seconds. She sat on the deck next to Toushiro, and she could not believe her eyes. Below the fireworks was a perfect view of the town. She could see the lanterns snake up the hill to the shrine where she had just stood; but from here, it looked like a ribbon of light. _So this is what he wanted me to see…_

Toushiro was happy that Momo seemed to enjoy the fireworks. He knew that the view from his deck was probably one of the best in the neighborhood, and especially since his house sat on the western side of a hill, the sunset was always visible. He had been wanting to show Momo, but he had never gotten around to tell her about it until today. Even when she invited him to go to the festival with her, he had refused because he had thought she was still upset with him and was simply being polite. He could not blame her though. He knew that he was never good with words, so when he told her what he had three days ago, he was not in the least surprised that she got angry. He turned to look at her; she sat on the deck in awe as the lights glimmered on her face. The sight really was spectacular.

"Shiro-chan? What's the matter?"

"Huh? Oh, nothing. I'm just glad that…you came back."

Momo was somewhat stunned at his words. Was this what he meant by not needing anything else? Was her company more than enough already? Momo felt warmth reside deep in her chest. "I'll always come back," she said. "I promise." Toushiro saw her beam at him; that and her words were really all he needed for his birthday.

"Oh, I just remembered," said Momo as she stood up and ran back into the house. "Now, I feel kind of silly," she said, taking her place next to him again. "I felt a bit embarrassed to give this to you, but I hope you don't mind it." She handed him the small package she purchased three days ago.

He took it and felt the package. "A koma," he said.

"What? You could figure it out just by that?"

"Tops kinda have a certain shape, Momo."

"Ahh...I should've at least tried to wrap it_—_huh?" Momo started intently at Toushiro. He was smiling. It was not just the usual smirk he wore when he teased her either; rather, it was a genuine smile.

"W-what?" he asked, looking at her.

"Nothing," she smiled. "I think I'm starting to love winter now!"

If he only knew why.

* * *

><p><em>Whrrr—whrrr—whrrr<em>

"Nngh…"

_Whrrr—whrrr—whrrr_

"Nngh…wha—?" Momo sat up in bed and rubbed her eyes. "What is that sound?"

"Oh, Momo, you're awake," said Granny as she entered the room. "Toushiro hasn't stopped playing with that top you gave him since this morning."

It took a moment for Momo to process what Granny had said. "He…really?" she exclaimed. Momo ran out the sliding doors and saw Toushiro hunched on the ground, pulling the string of the top to watch it glide over the wooden deck. "Wow, Shiro-chan, I didn't know you would love it that much?"

Toushiro jumped and caught the top. Since when has she gotten good at sneaking up on him? Usually it was the other way around. "I-I don't love it…idiot."

"Really? But Granny just told me you've been practicing since this morning." Toushiro opened his mouth to speak, but predicted that he would lose this argument anyway. "Well, how do you use it?" she asked.

"You mean you gave me something you didn't know how to use?"

"That's beside the point." Toushiro looked at her unconvinced, but showed Momo step by step how to use it. First, he wrapped the string around the bottom starting with the needle it spun on up to the conical base of the top. Then, he knelt on the floor and flicked his wrist as if skipping stones on water. It was so fast that the top practically flew from the sting and spun while moving in circles. "Wow, you're really good. Have you used these before?"

"This is my first time using one of these. I've only seen some neighborhood kids play with them."

"You learned how to do this by just watching? That's really amazing of you, Shiro-chan!"

"I-it's nothing…"

"Hmm? Are you blushing?"

"I am not!"

Momo laughed. Just then, she felt something cold land on her hand that prompted her to look up at the sky.

"It's snowing," said Toushiro. He looked over at Momo who stood mesmerized at the falling ice.

"You know, Shiro-chan," started Momo. "I know that snow falls from the sky, but this is the first time I can remember ever seeing it. You see, I came to Rukongai this past summer without most of my memories, so you could say that this is my first winter. You're the only person that knows that."

Toushiro stared at Momo astounded at this revelation. He had no idea that she had died so recently or that she appeared here alone. He knew that that was typical for most people, but for him, it was different. "So you were alone? For how long?"

"I was actually found by an orphanage not too long after that, so I was taken care of." Momo tried to pass off the news with a smile, but Toushiro could tell there was loneliness behind it. "What about you? Do you remember?"

"It's always been me and Granny for as long as I can remember. She told me I had parents though, at one point; but, they died before I could even walk. You're the only person that knows, too."

The two stayed in silence for a while, comforted by the fact that they had exchanged secrets that only the other knew of. Toushiro stood up to face Momo. "Did you want to go out in the snow today?"

"Sounds great."

* * *

><p>Toushiro and Momo walked along the outskirts of Jun'rinan until the houses of their neighborhood were no longer visible. Instead, they saw nothing but tall trees slowly begin to surround them.<p>

"I didn't know there was a forest so nearby," said Momo.

"Not many people come here, especially in winter. There's someplace I want to show you; it's just a little farther down." Toushiro led her through a zigzag of trees, and eventually they walked into a clearing. It was as if the trees had been cleared in this area so there was a fine layer of snow on the ground that had not yet been disturbed. Momo walked to the center of the clearing, captivated by the trees, whose branches were blanketed with snow. At the tips, icicles hung like chimes and glistened in the bright, winter sun.

"These look even better when spring comes around," he said, approaching one of the trees.

"Hey, Shiro-chan!"

"I told you to quit—" Toushiro felt a chunk of snow hit his face, and he found himself spitting out ice as he saw Momo quickly gathering snow in her hands. She aimed another snowball for his head, but just before it could hit him, he dodge rolled to the side, collecting snow in his hands in the process.

"Huh?" Momo had no idea that he could move like that. Before she realized it, she got hit squarely in the face. "Hey!" The snow was covering her eyes, but she could clearly hear Toushiro laughing triumphantly.

"Serves you right, Bed-wetter!"

Toushiro and Momo found themselves in a snowball fight that continued until the sky had changed to a deep red-orange. When Toushiro noticed the sun had gone, he called out to Momo. "It's getting late, Momo! Maybe you should just give up now," he called from behind a tree. After several seconds of silence, he called again. Still no answer. _Don't tell me she got lost!_

"Momo!" he called, moving from behind the tree. Suddenly, he felt a snowball hit him on the back of the head.

"I got you, Shiro-chan!" chimed Momo.

"Wha—but you—argh! Nevermind!"

"Hmm? Why do you look so upset?"

"It's nothing! It getting dark out; we should get home."

Momo stared at him questioningly, but agreed. Looking around, the entire clearing was now covered in their footprints. _Wow, we have been playing for a long time._ "It's a good thing that you know how to get out of here, Shiro-chan! I would probably get lost."

"That's what worries me," he mumbled, walking ahead of her. "Knowing you, you'd probably end up running in circles." Rather than hearing a retort, there was nothing but silence. _Again?_

"Momo, quit playing—" Toushiro stopped mid-sentence when he saw Momo completely still staring wide-eyed at the ground. His heart skipped a beat when he saw her eyes; they were the same lifeless look she wore when he had first seen her. "Momo, tell me what's wrong," he said urgently.

"I don't…remember—was that here," she said shakily, pointing to the ground. "…when we came here?"

Toushiro rested his eyes on what appeared to be a large footprint embedded in the snow. _A Hollow?_

"It's the one…" said Momo, losing strength in her legs. She recognized it. The four-pronged toes and the size were enough to tell her that that was the same print she saw on the day her life changed. _Was this the thing that destroyed the village? _What was worse was that it was still alive and closer than ever. "It's the same one…it came back! Why did it come back?" Momo shrieked.

"Momo, calm down," Toushiro coaxed, but it was futile. Momo continued to speak senselessly like he was not even there. He was getting desperate. He grabbed her shoulders and looked her straight in the eye. "Momo, look at me!" he yelled. Momo stopped talking and did as he said, though her eyes were lacking in focus. "That thing won't hurt you anymore; I won't let it. I promise! I'll always protect you." Momo's breathing slowed, but all she could do was nod. "Okay, can you stand? We have to get out of here?"

Just then, Toushiro heard voices approaching. Knowing they did not have enough time to escape, he led Momo to a small thicket at the base of a tree where they hid. _Who could that be?_ However, his answer came when he saw a hoard of people in black kimonos appear as if out of thin air. _Soul Reapers? There's only one reason why they would be here._

"Captain!" one of them called. "The tracks lead through here."

"Just make sure we don't lose it. It'd be a real pain in the ass if it got away again." After that exchange, they all disappeared in the same fashion as they arrived.

"Okay, Momo, we have to go _now_." Momo was still slightly dazed, but Toushiro managed to guide her out of the forest unharmed. As they ran back home, he still could not shake the feeling that something was seriously wrong. Was this hollow unique? It was extremely rare to see Soul Reapers in Jun'rinan, let alone one of captain class. Though Toushiro had not seen the face of that captain, he knew of his rank due to the white haori he wore which bore the number ten.

* * *

><p>.<p>

.

.

Taiyaki: Fish-shaped pancake with filling

Kendama: Toy which consists of catching a ball in either of the cups attached

Den Den Daiko: Toy which two attached pellets hit a drum as it spins

Oni-mask: Demon mask

Takoyaki: Ball-shaped dumpling of octopus and batter

Mitarashi Dango: Skewered dumpling covered in sweet soy sauce glaze

Koma: Spinning top

Haori: Light coat worn over a kimono


	4. Plum and Peach Trees

**Strange how the last chapter came out the day it finally snowed. -Lennox Case**

* * *

><p><strong>Our Days in Rukongai<strong>

_Chapter 4_

Plum and Peach Trees

* * *

><p><em>Where am I?<em>

Momo found herself in a place she had never seen before. Around her were smoky mountains with red rivers of fire rushing from the peaks. She looked down at her feet and saw that even the black rock on which she stood was smoldering, yet she did not feel any pain. In fact, although she knew that she should have been burnt by being in a place like this, she felt just fine. The warmth was actually comforting in a strange way.

Just then, she saw a flash of flames fly past her. She walked forward through the ash and swore that the thing she saw looked like a—

_A bird? _

It was not just any kind of bird; it was an enormous phoenix engulfed in flames. What was even more strange was that it was perched on a tree that appeared to be resistant to fire. As Momo stepped closer, she saw that the tree bore fruits which looked like plums.

_Who—who are you?_

**Child, my name is—**

Suddenly one of the nearby mountains erupted, blocking out the sound. _What? What are you saying?_

**You will be—**

_I can't hear you!_

* * *

><p>Momo woke with a start with beads of sweat on her forehead. She got up from bed and walked quietly to the sliding door that led to the outside. The cold that seeped through was enough to leave her shivering. However, it was not that it was too cold outside; it was too hot inside. Momo looked over to Granny and Toushiro, who were still asleep, and saw that they, too, were sweating. <em>What's going on? And what was with that weird dream?<em>

She had never even seen fiery mountains before, so why would she dream of them like they were so familiar? Momo thought back to yesterday. That was when she and Toushiro saw those prints in the snow; however, she did not remember much else until they got home. _Hollow_ was the name given to such a creature, as Toushiro had told her yesterday.

* * *

><p>'<em>Are there a lot more of them?' asked Momo.<em>

'_Too many to count,' replied Toushiro._

'_How many?'_

'_As many stars there are in the sky.'_

'_No way…Is there no one to fight them?' she asked fearfully._

'_You haven't heard of Soul Reapers? Do you remember the people we saw yesterday in the forest?' Momo shook her head; she could not remember as hard as she tried to. Toushiro looked at her quizzically. 'They live in the Seireitei and wear black kimonos and—'_

'—_and they have swords! I saw one of them a long time ago in the village I used to live in.'_

'_Right, well that's their job.'_

'_But why are there still Hollows so close to the Seireitei?'_

'_I don't know. Maybe this Hollow is too strong. Anyway, people in Rukongai don't really like Soul Reapers.'_

'_Why? Don't they help?' However, Toushiro looked away and refused to answer._

'_What's important is that you run as fast as you can when you see a Hollow. They'll destroy everything you hold dear,' he said bitterly._

'_Shiro-chan, did they—?'_

'_Granny told me they killed my parents. I don't remember them at all though; I guess I was too young.'_

Momo fell asleep with that thought. She had no idea Toushiro had been so affected by those Hollows. She, herself, knew full well what it felt like. _If only I were able to do something about it…_

* * *

><p><em>Could that have had something to do with my dream? Hopefully, it won't happen again. <em>

Much to Momo's dismay, the dream had been recurrent over the next four months. She could not understand why this was happening. It was always the same chain of events. She would find herself among the fiery mountains, find the fire bird, and always miss that last parts of its messages. When she would awaken, the room would always feel hotter as well. Finally, it got to the point when she could no longer stay silent about it.

"Um, Granny, Shiro-chan," she said one day during breakfast. "H-have you felt anything weird in the middle of the night or when you wake up?"

Granny and Toushiro stopped eating and exchanged glances. "Momo, what could you mean?" asked Granny.

"Yeah, did you hit your head on the tatami this morning?" snickered Toushiro.

"No, I mean…doesn't it feel way hotter in the room when you wake up?"

"Well, summer is approaching, dear." Momo stayed quiet. _Maybe Granny was right; it's probably nothing._

* * *

><p>"Are we there yet?"<p>

"You were the one that wanted to come along, so don't complain!"

"But, you said you were going to find peaches; I couldn't resist!"

"Is it because your name means peach, or do you actually like them?" Toushiro teased.

Momo thought for a moment. "I guess both."

"_Tch_, you're so hopeless. Anyway, I hope you remember the path we're taking so you can remember to get out of the clearing on your own."

"Why do I need to get out of here on my own?"

"Just in case; you need to prepare yourself for the worst." Momo did not like the sound of that, but she let it go.

When they approached the clearing, Momo found it hard to believe that it was the same one they had played in those few months ago. The small field before them was covered in green grass and wildflowers and the trees, well, they were a sight to behold. All around the border were trees bearing the largest peaches Momo had ever seen.

"I had no idea that all of these were peach trees!"

"I thought I'd surprise you by bringing some home," he said, trying to sound nonchalant. "But…you just had to come anyway, didn't you?"

"Shiro-chan…That's so sweet!" she said ruffling his hair.

"Oi! Now are we gonna grab some or not?" he said, pushing her arm away. "Okay, I'll go get them and you just catch."

Toushiro went to one of the trees and rapidly made his way near the top. He managed to grab a few close to the trunk of the tree, but most of the fruit hung near the ends of the branches. Momo watched him futilely reach as far as he could as he kept one hand on the trunk. She did not want to see him hurt himself, and in truth, that was the main reason why she came with him today. Even though she knew that she was not strong like a Soul Reaper, she did not want him coming face to face with a Hollow alone. It was reckless of her, but she would not have it any other way.

"Shiro-chan, let me climb. My arms are a bit longer than yours."

"What did you say?" She could have sworn she saw a vein pulse in his head.

"Ah, I mean, I'm getting kind of bored down here so—"

"No way."

"Wha—? Why not?"

"It's too dangerous for someone like you."

"What's that supposed to mean?" yelled Momo. Toushiro just ignored her and climbed farther up. "I'm not going to catch anymore peaches!"

"Hah?" Toushiro looked angrily at Momo, but she was looking up at him the same way. He groaned and climbed down. _When did she get so clever?_

* * *

><p>"Don't let go of the trunk," he warned as she began climbing. When Momo passed the first several branches, she looked down and gulped. She had no idea she was this high up already. She spotted a fully ripe peach hanging down near the end of a branch above her. She set her foot on the branch in front of her and reached out, keeping her grip on the trunk. <em>Just a little farther…<em>

_Crack_

Momo looked down and saw the wood splintering beneath her. "Momo!" Toushiro looked even more scared than she did. "Just hold on to the trunk; I'll be right there!" However, before Momo could wrap her arms around the trunk, the branch had broken, and she found herself falling through the air.

"Momo!"

At that moment, Toushiro saw a flash of black zoom across his eyes. _What was that?_ At a distance, Toushiro saw a man rise from a knelt position with Momo in his arms.

"Don'tcha kids think ya can be a lil' more careful?"

Toushiro tensed up when he saw the man's face. He looked relatively young, but from the badge he wore on his right arm, he was already a lieutenant of the Thirteen-Court Guard Squads. His expression was what worried him the most, however. Although he was smiling, he looked sinister like a fox.

He set down Momo, who was just as surprised as Toushiro. She had never seen a Soul Reaper up close before. On his arm, there was a badge that had the number five along with a flower insignia. _Five? So there's an army of Soul Reapers?_ "Um, thank you for saving me."

"No need t'apologize, but if I were you, I'd go on home. Ya don't know what kinda scary things can be out here in this neck o' the woods." When Momo saw his smile widen, she nodded and backed away toward Toushiro. They exchanged glances and quickly ran out of the clearing without looking back.

The man remained still as he watched the two children leave. Then, he looked at his empty palm, observing what most people could not see. "Hmm…interestin'…"

* * *

><p>When the two children were out of the woods, they paused to take a breath.<p>

"Shiro-chan, that man, he was kind of—"

"What's scarier is that he had immense spiritual pressure." Seeing Momo's confusion, he continued. "Spiritual pressure is what it takes to become a Soul Reaper; they work on honing that power to make it into something greater. But sometimes, Soul Reapers use it for their own selfish reasons. That's why those of us without spiritual pressure see them as a threat. That guy back there; there was something wrong about him and I know you saw it, too."

Momo nodded. She was at a shock for words finding out that the people, who were meant to protect them, could actually do just the opposite. Although the man had saved her, she felt that he could have just as easily let her fall and then put her out of her misery if she was still breathing.

* * *

><p>Momo lie in bed that night unable to sleep. She was almost afraid of falling asleep for fear that she would have that same dream again or a nightmare about the man with the fox-face. Finally giving in, she crept out of bed and tiptoed to Toushiro, who was facing the other way.<p>

"Shiro-chan, could we share?"

Unbeknownst to Momo, Toushiro had already been awake. The sounds of her tossing around told him the events of today really took their toll on her. Rather than saying anything, he simply moved to give her space. Eventually, he turned over to see her fast asleep. Still, she looked like she was having a nightmare. He reached out for her clenched fist and felt that her skin was hot to the touch. _Does she have a fever?_ But it was far from that. Toushiro soon saw a faint red glow emerge from Momo's body, and it begun to radiate throughout the room. His eyes widened. _This couldn't be—_

_Spiritual pressure? What is going on?_


	5. Hide

**Thank you for the reviews.**

* * *

><p><strong>Our Days in Rukongai<strong>

_Chapter 5_

Hide

* * *

><p>"Hinamori, that's amazing!" exclaimed Hisagi. "You began hearing the name of your zanpakuto in childhood?"<p>

"Yes, well, I didn't actually hear its name until after I entered the academy," replied Hinamori. "Back then, I honestly didn't know such a thing could happen."

"But Captain Hitsugaya, he knew?"

Hinamori put her finger to her chin. "Yes, I think he did; I think he was alarmed by it as well. Still, that didn't stop him from trying to figure out what was really going on. "

"So eventually, you were able to figure out that it was your spiritual pressure developing?"

"Actually," Hinamori started dismally. "We found out that I had spiritual pressure by the worst way imaginable…"

* * *

><p>"Shiro-chan, you're up early," said Momo as she creaked onto the deck next to him.<p>

"Ah."

"Did you not sleep well?" She could not help but feel that she was responsible.

"It got a little hot in there." Momo turned to him abruptly.

"So you did notice!"

"Huh?"

"That's what I meant when I said that the room felt hotter when I woke up. Did you figure out what it was?" she asked earnestly.

"Ah, not really," he lied, avoiding her gaze. He knew it had to be Momo; that red aura emanating from her had to be her spiritual pressure. As much as he hated to accept this with all his being, it was the truth. He did not want to try to confirm it, but he knew that that would be best for her. _Dammit._

"Hey, Shiro-chan!"

"What?" he shot back, being pulled from his reverie.

"I've been asking you if you ate breakfast already."

"Fine," he said, zoning out again.

"What does that mean?" Momo asked, slightly annoyed. "Hey, are you listening to me?"

* * *

><p>"What are we doing now?" whined Momo as Toushiro led her to the back of the house.<p>

"I just want to see something."

"What could possibly be here in this alleyway?" Rather than giving a response, Toushiro found a stick about as tall as he was and stabbed a leaf with the top of it. Then, he planted it in the ground a short distance away from Momo.

"What are you doing?"

"Something important. Now, stand where you are, and put your arms like this." Toushiro gestured by holding out his right arm in front of him with the palm of his hand facing outward toward the stick. He used his left hand to hold his wrist in place.

"I still don't know what—"

"Momo," he said adamantly, though Momo could have sworn he sounded a little desperate as well. "Do you trust me?" She did not even have to answer; rather, she placed her arms out as Toushiro did and waited.

"Alright," he said. "Now close your eyes and focus on hitting that leaf without touching it." Momo could not understand in the least why this was happening, but she knew Toushiro must have a good reason. She closed her eyes and the first thing that came to mind was incinerating that leaf. She could picture it in her mind; a great flame running down her arm and through her hand aimed directly at it.

Toushiro saw Momo putting all her effort focusing on what he told her to; he even saw beads of sweat start to appear on her forehead. However, there was no red aura, no strange heat emitting from her, nothing. _Why is it not working? Does she not have it?_ He was getting frustrated with the whole situation and cursed under his breath.

"Okay, Momo, you can stop."

Momo dropped her arms and exhaled. "Alright, now can you tell me what that was about?"

Toushiro hesitated. He did not want to distress Momo, nor was he sure about how she would react. His greatest fear at that moment was having her become overjoyed by the news. But why would she be? She knew Soul Reapers were nothing but trouble. Still, he could not hide this from her forever. "Momo, I think that you—"

"Toushiro! Momo! Where are you?" Granny called from the front of the house.

"Ah, we should go back; Granny sounds urgent," said Toushiro. Momo nodded unsatisfied, but followed him back.

"There you two are! You had me worried," said Granny.

"Is something the matter, Granny?" asked Momo.

"I just heard from the neighbors that there's been another Hollow attack in Jun'rinan. Fortunately for us, it has only been on the east side; but, I don't want either of you to wander far from this house. Do you hear me?" Toushiro and Momo only nodded. They were shocked to hear that even more Hollows were appearing so close to them. They had thought there was just the one Hollow whose prints they had seen in the forest during winter. Now, however, the number has increased. It just did not make any sense.

* * *

><p>Over the next several days, Hollow attacks had been appearing throughout the east side of Jun'rinan. People from all over the district had been calling for the medical assistance of Toushiro's grandmother, but she had hesitated for fear of leaving the two children alone. However, both Toushiro and Momo decided that the better decision would be for Granny to go and help the injured. Though quite reluctant, Granny agreed and prepared for her journey to the east end.<p>

"Granny, your escort is here," said Momo.

"Are you sure that you two will be alright?"

"We'll be fine, Granny. I'll protect Momo—"

"And I'll protect Shiro-chan!"

"...Anyway, you don't have to worry."

"Alright," Granny chuckled. "Glad to hear it; I'll be home soon." With that, they embraced Granny and watched her leave through the front gate.

Later that evening, Momo found Toushiro on the roof, staring at the night sky in silence. _Does he only come up there when he's upset?_ "Shiro-chan," she called from the ladder. "Granny will be fine. Her escorts will take care of her." Toushiro nodded but went back to watching the moon. "Hm…" Momo sighed. She climbed up and sat next to him. "Oh, I used the inks that Granny gave me; here, I drew you a picture."

Toushiro took the paper Momo had handed to him. It was a picture of them, and it was drawn exceptionally well, too. He was surprised of the strong likeness of the pair, who were sitting together on the deck of the house. He had his characteristic scowl, and she had her usual smile. "I didn't know you can draw this well."

"I'll take that as a 'thank you'."

He smiled, trying hard to hide the ill feeling he has been having all day.

* * *

><p><em>No…not again.<em>

Momo found herself once again surrounded by the fiery mountains. As much as she felt at ease in this place, she also hated it. It scared her. She could not understand why she was having this recurrent dream, and now, she noticed that even Toushiro was feeling apprehensive. She sighed and stepped forward until she saw the large flaming phoenix. They had the same conversation they always had; however, Momo could never catch its name or what it wanted of her. But just then, it said the most startling thing.

**I lend you my power.**

_What? What power? What do I need it for?_

The fire bird remained motionless, but it looked her straight in the eye. Suddenly, it spread its wings and swiftly brought them down. Momo was engulfed in flames and though it frightened her, the flames did not burn her. Rather, she felt like something inside her was awakening.

_W-why do I need this?_

**To protect.**

_Protect? Protect what? Tell me! _

* * *

><p>Momo's eyes snapped open as she gasped for breath. She sat up and saw pale light seep through the window. <em>It's early…and now, I can't go back to sleep. <em>She got dressed and quietly tiptoed past Toushiro, who was still sound asleep. Momo stepped outside in need of fresh air; she just could not get this certain dream out of her head. It was different in the way that she was finally able to get an answer, but now, she had more questions instead.

_Argh! What does this mean?_ Momo thought as she gripped her head with her hands.

"Momo-chan, are you alright?"

"O-oh, it's you Ah-chan," said Momo looking up quickly. "Yes, I'm okay."

"Well, you're up early. Did you sleep okay?"

"Yes! Everything's just fine! I'm just—"Momo stopped when she saw Ayumi's eyes widen in fear. Her eyes were affixed at a point above Momo's head and she began backing up slowly without moving her gaze.

"H-hollow…"

Momo's heart skipped a beat, and she slowly turned her head to see what she had always dreaded to see. There it was: the maroon-stained beast with tusks growing out of the skull it had for a head. She glanced at its feet and knew they were the same ones that had made that print in the snow those many months ago. It was the same beast that had stolen everything from her. The Hollow glared at the two with its eyes the color of burning embers, though it remained still, as if waiting for its prey to make the first move. Momo wanted to run; she had the urge to just leave and never look back, but she could not allow herself to. She had something to protect now.

_To protect? Is that what it meant?_

"Ah-chan, get away from here. Call Te-chan and Shiro-chan, and get as far away from here as you can." However, the only sound that filled Momo's ears was the ragged breath of the Hollow in front of her. She glanced at Ayumi but found that she was as frozen as stone. Momo had to think fast. She would not allow anyone else to be killed by this Hollow. She had to protect the village; she had to protect Ayumi and Tatsukichi, but most off all, she had to protect…

_Shiro-chan…_

Momo glanced at her house and the monster that stood between them. She could not get to him in time, and so, Momo did the only thing she could think of. She slowly picked up a rock that lie near her feet and threw it straight at its head. The Hollow let out a screech, and its orange eyes glowed with a ferocity directly at her. Then, Momo sprinted as far away from the house as possible, glancing behind to make sure the monster had followed her.

Her heart felt like it was pounding out of her chest, and it resonated throughout, making her tremble. Although Momo felt that her legs would fail her at any moment, she did the best she could to fight the fear that was steadily infecting her body.

_Run faster_, Momo told herself desperately. _Don't stop! _

She had to protect her home even if she knew she would never see it again.


	6. Seek

**As the end draws near...**

* * *

><p><strong>Our Days in Rukongai<strong>

_Chapter 6_

Seek

* * *

><p>Toushiro shot up from bed when he heard a hellish screech. <em>Was that a dream?<em> He looked over to Momo's futon but found it empty. _Where could she have gone?_

"Ayu! Ayu, what's wrong?" called a distressed voice from outside.

_What's going on?_ As Toushiro crawled out of bed he heard the crinkling of paper. Beneath his hand was the picture that Momo had drawn for him. He picked it up and saw that there was now a fine crease down the center. It separated the two of them.

Toushiro got up and quickly opened the door. He saw Tatsukichi kneeling next to his sister, Ayumi, who looked terrified out of her mind. "What happened? Have you seen Momo?" Toushiro asked, running to them. However, they only looked at him with surprised faces and then looked away to avoid his eye contact. Toushiro furrowed his eyebrows. "Please, tell me!"

Tatsukichi was once again startled and looked to Ayumi, who still remained weary toward the white-haired boy. "Ayu," said Tatsukichi. "Do you know?"

Ayumi held back, but when she saw the desperation in Toushiro's eyes, she surrendered. "A Hollow, it came by and Momo-chan, she…she led it away. She took that path." She pointed to the road that led to the outskirts of the village. Toushiro bowed to them and sprinted in that direction.

"I hope you find your sister," called Tatsukichi.

_Sister?_ Toushiro narrowed his eyes and quickened his pace.

_She's more than that._

* * *

><p>Toushiro knew where Momo was headed. It was the only place she knew how to get to. What he could not understand was why she did something so foolish. What person, in his or her right mind, would do something like lead on a Hollow? He was angry and ashamed. <em>Was I not the one that told her I would protect her?<em> He ran so fast that all the trees around him became blurs. _Momo!_

The glare from the sun got brighter as he neared the clearing. It blinded him for a moment until he reached his destination. There, he saw a Hollow with its hands entwined high above its head ready to hit the earth. Then, he saw Momo. She looked like she could barely stand and there was a small trickle of blood from where she had nicked her head.

"Shiro-chan?" she exclaimed. Just when the Hollow brought its arms down, Toushiro leaped forward to push Momo out of the way. Seeing she was alright, he then stood up between her and the beast in a defensive position.

"Momo, get out of here now!"

Momo was stunned. Why had he come? Her main reason for guiding the Hollow to this place was so that no one would get hurt, especially him. But then, she remembered the words he told her when she had first opened up to him: _'I'll protect you. I promise.'_

_Why?_ Tears had already begun forming. _It wasn't supposed to be like this._ She watched in horror as Toushiro barely dodged the swings the Hollow had thrown at him. He somersaulted and rolled in a direction that always lead the Hollow away from Momo. Even now, when he was so close to death, he was thinking about her well-being. However, Toushiro was soon backed into a corner as thick underbrush blocked his chances of escaping so easily.

Just then, Toushiro heard a squish from behind the Hollow's head. Momo, with fallen peaches in her arsenal, had tried her best to distract it. Unfortunately, the Hollow had taken this as another invitation of war and turned around with its fist pulled back near its head. She saw its fist close in and take up her field of vision. Everything seemed to move in slow motion. Momo heard her heart beat and her breath leaving her body. She closed her eyes and felt a trembling smile creep onto her face.

_Thank you for everything, Shiro-chan…_

Momo yanked open her eyes when, instead of flying backwards, she felt herself being pushed to the side once again. When her vision had cleared, she looked behind her.

"Shiro-chan!" she shrieked. She stood, ignoring the sharp pain in her leg and tumbled over to where Toushiro had fallen motionless. Momo had to fight the nausea she was struck with when she saw his body. He had been hit with such force that she was certain his ribcage had collapsed. _No…_ She saw the profuse blood coursing from his mouth and torso. _No…_ She tried lifting his body, only to see his head fall back uncharacteristically.

"No!" she screamed. She held his head with her other hand and tried desperately to find any signs of life on his face. "Open your eyes! Please, say something! Anything! Insult me, call me Bed-wetter, just—"The tears flowed freely down her face and onto his. "…just don't die…I can't—I don't know what to do, Shiro-chan…Please, don't leave me alone…" She held his head to her chest and let out a horrifying scream that echoed throughout the forest.

What happened next was almost out of Momo's control. She heard the beast behind her emit a low rumbling sound from its throat. It was not done yet, but that was what set her off. Momo carefully set down Toushiro's body and stood to face the Hollow. She looked up at it with eyes plagued with rage and inconsolable sadness. He breathing was unsteady, and all the fear she had felt had cracked away. Then, as if by instinct, she placed her right hand out with her palm aiming at the Hollow's head and used her left to steady her shaking wrist. Closing her eyes, she focused on hitting her target. All she was missing was power, but she already had that, didn't she? She felt an intense heat like a fire burning in her chest. It ran through her arm and from her palm, a burst of light and fire flew and struck the face of the Hollow. She heard a sharp snap and saw that one of its tusks had fallen to the ground.

It let out a howl and stumbled backwards. Before it could recover, Momo sprinted forward to grab the tusk and with it, she used all her strength to puncture its instep causing it to fall on its side. Momo once again aimed for its head. However, before she could strike it, the Hollow reached its skeletal hand up toward the sky. She watched in disbelief as the sky above her ripped apart as if it was made of paper, and out from the black, gaping hole, appeared another Hollow. It looked almost identical to the one she faced except its skin was a murky blue. It slammed down to the ground and turning to the other Hollow, it shone a bright light from its hand onto its comrade. Momo watched as the maroon-colored Hollow stood up while its broken tusk regenerated almost instantly. In fact, all its injuries seemed to have vanished in matters of a second. Meanwhile, the other set its flashing green eyes toward Toushiro. Immediately, Momo rushed to him and shielded his mangled body with her broken one. She felt the shake of the earth grow more violent as the beast approached her. Still, she never let go of him. _I promised I wouldn't leave you…_

Momo heard the Hollow wail and expected the end, but it never came. Momo opened her eyes and looked back only to see the blue-colored Hollow fall in two pieces. In front of her, standing almost majestically was a man in a black kimono and a white, flowing haori that bore the number ten. The maroon-colored Hollow jabbed its arm repeatedly at the Soul Reaper, but he had moved with such speed that it looked as though he disappeared and appeared in thin air. Then, he suddenly stopped and caught the Hollow's arm; and with just one hand, he twisted it with so much force that it ripped off. Momo sat speechless as the man jumped high in the sky and smote it with his sword with a single strike. She watched as the beast disintegrated into a black dust.

When the remains of the Hollows had completely vanished, the man turned around and walked toward the children. He kneeled beside them, and Momo was finally able to make out his features. He had spiky dark hair as well as facial hair. His furrowed eyebrows made him look like he was frustrated, but Momo could not help but feel that this man was actually kind. However, she knew that she should keep her distance from Soul Reapers, so she left the first word to him.

"You kids look terrible. I'm sorry this had to happen, but here, let me heal you up." The man placed his hand in front of Momo's forehead, and soon, she felt the pain disappearing entirely. However, before he had finished, she grabbed the man's hand and looked at him pleadingly.

"Could you save him? Please!" Momo desperately looked from the man to Toushiro. The man was surprised. This girl, who had held her ground to defend a boy who was as good as a corpse, refused treatment until he was healed first. He looked at the boy in the girl's arms, and knew that it would take a lot of high-level kido to fix him up.

"Well, that kid's pretty banged up, but hey, I'm not a captain for nothing." He set to work while Momo watched in awe as Toushiro's body was slowly coming back to shape. When he was done, all that remained were the bloodstains on Toushiro's clothing.

"Shiro-chan?" called Momo. She put her ear to his chest and heard his heart beating once again. Momo could barely contain her happiness and thanked the man with tears running down her cheeks. She seemed to cry more finding out he was alive than dead.

* * *

><p>"Has the kid woken up yet?"<p>

"No, not yet." Momo quietly closed the door to the house while she sat down on the deck. The Soul Reaper captain who stood in front of the house also turned and sat down next to her. "Thank you…for saving him."

"It's my duty. Any Soul Reaper would do the same," he grinned down at her. Momo was surprised; has her perception of them been wrong?

"Will…will anymore of those things come back?"

"The Hollows? Well, since we just took out that one, probably not around here for a while."

"Huh? What do you mean?"

"That Hollow, we've been after it for some time. You see, that one was responsible for the other Hollow attacks in East Jun'rinan. Apparently, it had the power to open Garganta—I mean—these portals that allow them to travel between Soul Society and the place they normally reside."

"That portal…was it that tear in the sky?"

"Exactly. It used it to summon its partner, who had the power of high-speed regeneration. So, you can see why these two were really hard to kill. A lot of people died, but we finally got them." He put his hand on Momo's head and smiled. "You showed a lot of courage there, more than I've seen in some at the academy."

Momo blushed. "I-I just wanted…to protect everyone for once."

The man stared into the distance solemnly for a few moments. "Hey kid, have you ever thought about becoming a Soul Reaper?"

"What? But you need to have special powers to do that!"

"You mean, you haven't noticed?" he asked with astonishment. She only looked at him wide-eyed. "You have spiritual pressure."

Momo had to look away in order to digest what the man had said. Spiritual pressure was the unique power that Soul Reapers honed. It was what they used to get stronger in order to protect those they cared about. And she was just told she had that power, too. "H-how do you know?"

"You don't remember that blast you shot from your hand? That's a power we call kido." Momo just continued to stare at him blankly; she really did not remember. "Haven't you ever felt a voice calling out to you…in here?" he said as he put his hand to his chest. He was addressing that voice in her dreams, and the look on her face told him so. "You do, right? Well, when you get older, consider joining the academy. You can become stronger, and then, you can protect so many more."

Even after the Soul Reaper had left, his words continued to echo in Momo's ears as well as those of the boy who sat with his back pressed to the sliding paper doors separating the two.

* * *

><p>Within a day's time, Granny had returned franticly. She had heard about the attack in the neighborhood, but the children decided it best to keep the Hollow encounter to themselves. The neighbors had agreed to keep silent, and Momo also withdrew the Soul Reaper story from her. Granny was left to believe that the incident had really come and gone without leaving any evidence behind; however, both Momo and Toushiro would never forget that day. Toushiro had been quieter in the days that followed, and Momo had become livelier. Then, one day, Momo pulled Granny aside and told her she had something important to discuss.<p>

…

"Are you sure, Momo?" asked Granny, nearing the end of their conversation.

"Yes," said Momo determinedly. "This is the thing I've been looking for."

* * *

><p>"Shiro-chan, dinner will be ready soon," called Momo. She stepped out onto the deck after looking throughout the house. <em>Where is he?<em> Then, Momo remembered one place. She looked to the ladder on the side of the house and just as she thought, Toushiro was sitting at the edge staring at the sunset.

"I've been looking for you." He remained still, paying no heed to her. "Shiro-chan?" Momo climbed the roof and sat next to him. "Are you okay?"

Toushiro did not look at her, but his eyes narrowed. "You're leaving. How can I be?"

"What? Why are you so upset?"

"You're going to become one of them!" Momo was taken aback by Toushiro's yell; it was not often that he showed anger. The fury in his eyes dimmed to regret as he looked away again. "Do you…hate it here or something?"

Momo felt that she had had this conversation before. "No! How could I? Can…can you just tell me what this is about?"

"I was there; I heard it all."

"The conversation with Granny?"

"Even before that," he retorted. "When that Soul Reaper was here."

Momo's mouth fell. "You were awake?"

Toushiro looked at her from the side. "Why would you listen to someone like that? Those people are dangerous; you can't trust them!"

"He saved our lives!" Momo looked at him angrily, clenching her fists. "We owe it to him! Especially you!"

Toushiro blinked back in confusion. "What are you talking about?"

"You mean…you don't remember?" Momo was in disbelief while Toushiro simply stared at her. "He…you…" She had to breathe deeply several times to continue. "You got hurt…really bad, and I couldn't do _anything_. But he saved you with that power he had; and later, he told me that I had the same power, too. So if I do this, I can become stronger, and then, I'll be able to protect you and Granny."

He could not believe what he was hearing; his worst nightmare had finally come true. "No! It's too dangerous! You can get hurt!" he pleaded.

"Shiro-chan, I watched you die!" Toushiro went silent. He saw that Momo was already crying. "I will do this," she said, standing up wiping away the tears. "This is what I've always wanted. I _have_ to go…" With that, she climbed down the ladder and disappeared.

Toushiro sat furious and confused. He put his hand to his head, desperately trying to recall what had happened. All that he could remember was dodging the attacks by the Hollow and then suddenly waking up at home. He remembered getting up from bed and finding blood splattered on his clothes, but he was unscathed. He had thought it belonged to the Hollow, but he never realized he had actually died. He could hardly imagine what Momo must have felt when she had seen him. If he had seen _her_ covered in blood on the ground, he would go crazy. _Stop! Stop thinking about this!_

Toushiro slowed his breathing as he pulled out a piece of paper from his shirt. Recently, he had been imagining the worst happening, and it was all because of the thing he held in his hand. He had found it in the folds of his bloodied clothes; it was the picture Momo had drawn. Compared to the pristine form it had when he had received it, the picture was now creased with smudges of dry blood, which he had just found out belonged to him. What greatly disturbed him, however, were the patterns. The image of Momo was completely smeared; she could be barely made out behind that splatter of reddish-brown. His image, on the other hand, was left mostly untouched, save for the small splatters that covered his hands. Toushiro grit his teeth and felt a slight prick from behind his eyes.

_I will never let this happen!_

* * *

><p>Years passed.<p>

The dreaded day had finally come. She woke him up that morning with a bright smile on her face in clothes he had never seen her wear. It took all his energy to follow her outside. Then, the farewells came. She told him she would return and he believed her. Fine. Still, for him, today felt like the end. For her, it was the beginning. In the past years, she had exercised her spiritual pressure in a way that had allowed her to manifest and sustain it physically. No doubt this would get her in the academy. As for him, he was at war every time she mentioned it. But, as he got older, he was able to hide his emotions so deftly, he wondered if she could even read him anymore. He had never realized how strong his emotions had gotten.

She tousled his hair and ran to the front gate that they had gone through together so many times. She looked incomplete now, and he wondered if she would find a replacement to fill that spot. Even if that did happen, he had decided long ago that he would follow her anyway in order to fill the emptiness he felt. It was only when he watched her leave that he realized what she had given to him those many years ago and what she had taken from him just this second. The girl who had shown him love was taking his heart with her. And now, he could no longer feel it within him.

Thus, he prepared for what would be the longest winter in his life.

* * *

><p><strong>To be concluded...<strong>


	7. See You

**Thank you very much for reading and reviewing up to the final chapter of Our Days in Rukongai. It has been a pleasure writing for you.**

* * *

><p><strong>Our Days in Rukongai<strong>

_Chapter 7_

See You

* * *

><p>"Hinamori, that was quite a story," said Hisagi. He had been on the edge of his seat as Hinamori recounted the time both she and Captain Hitsugaya encountered the Hollow and how they both got saved by that mysterious captain. Hisagi could feel her excitement as he, too, was also saved and inspired by a captain. It was a pity she could no longer remember his face or squad. What exactly happened during that fight and how she managed to stay alive was a mystery to him as much it was to her. "Our readers won't know what to expect."<p>

"Well, I'm glad you liked it. Thanks for taking the time to listen to it, Hisagi-san."

"I'm the one who should be giving thanks, Hinamori." Hisagi looked out the window to the pitch-black sky. "Wow, it's this late already? I would have loved to end this with the day Captain Hitsugaya decided to join the academy, but we don't have any more time. I'm going to start getting this ready for the press tonight. Thank you very much, Hinamori," said Hisagi as he bowed to her.

"No need to be so formal. Thank you for your time." She bowed to him and made her way out of the building, which was still as busy as when she first came in.

As Hinamori walked back to the Fifth Squad Headquarters, she pondered about what Hisagi had said earlier. _Hitsugaya-kun decided to join the academy five years after I did. Oh, that was also the day I had my first solo mission to the World of the Living…_

* * *

><p>"There you are, Shiro-chan!"<p>

Momo had just finished saying her goodbyes to Granny and was ready to return from summer break when she found Toushiro sitting on the roof of their house. _He's still upset, isn't he?_ Momo knew better than anyone that when Toushiro was troubled or frustrated, he would hide there. Ever since she left for the academy five years ago, he acted less like the kid she knew whenever she returned to visit. He had even begun to call her by her last name now. She had not wanted them to grow apart, which was partly why she desperately tried to convince him to join the Soul Reaper academy the moment she found out he also had spiritual pressure.

She had noticed one night, a few years before she entered the academy, that he emitted faint spiritual pressure while he slept. Over the course of several months, the power had steadily grown stronger to a point where it overshadowed her own, resulting in a slightly frigid room when they awoke. When she had told Toushiro of this, he quickly told her to disregard it, saying it was nothing. Even though she was excited for him, it was almost like he hated the powers he had attained. It occurred to Momo, though she could not be certain, that their powers had at one time balanced each other, which was why his power and its effects were barely noticeable before. Now that she was away, however, she could only imagine how strong it had gotten and how the sudden drop in temperature affected Granny's health. When Momo had informed Granny of this, she only smiled and said her weight loss was simply due to her old age. Granny had then told her to keep this from Toushiro and although Momo reluctantly agreed, she gave subtle hints to him by persuading him to come to the academy much to his annoyance. That aside, she had wanted them to become Soul Reapers together, but perhaps that was just a dream. Nevertheless, Momo put on her smile and bid him farewell.

Putting those uneasy thoughts to the side, Momo knew she had to focus on what was coming up later that night. She was assigned to patrol in the World of the Living as her first solo mission. This was training for the advanced students who had managed to master swordsmanship, offensive and defensive kido, and konso. Momo had never been able to officially perform konso, but she had been eager to finally get to use it. _Maybe I'll be able to tonight!_

That evening, Momo stood at the entrance of the Senkaimon. On her way there, her friends, Renji and Izuru, had wished her luck; she only hoped that she would not disappoint. _If I pass this, I wonder if that will help me get in the Fifth Squad with Captain Aizen…_ When she heard the doors of the Senkaimon split open, Momo shook her head to regain focus. _First thing's first. _She stepped determinedly through the portal.

* * *

><p>Momo jumped from roof to roof looking for any signs of disturbance, but so far everything seemed calm. She perched herself atop a telephone pole and observed the scenery beneath her. Although she thought that the houses and roads looked strange, she admired the beauty of all the lights that illuminated every corner. Suddenly, she saw a flicker at the corner of her eye; some of the lights in the distance were flashing on and off. At first, she thought it may have been some mundane inconvenience until she heard a scream from that area.<p>

Momo flash-stepped to a nearby rooftop, and she saw a boy running for his life down the street. What followed was a Hollow that was taller than any of the houses nearby. However, Momo no longer feared these creatures; the years she spent at the academy had honed her skills as well as her courage. She somersaulted from the roof and just when she was in between the Hollow and its victim, she put out her palm.

"Red Flame Cannon!"

The Hollow let out a shriek and stumbled backward, temporarily blinded by the explosion. Momo used this to her advantage and rebounded from the ground into the sky once again, unsheathing her sword in the process. Raising the blade high above her head, she swiftly brought it down and used her momentum to rip the beast in two down the center. It disintegrated before the pieces could hit the ground.

"Woah_…_"

Momo quickly spun around. She would have thought that the boy would have been long gone already.

"You…Are you okay?" She watched as the boy stepped into the glow of a streetlight. If she did not know any better, she would have thought they were the same age. But when she looked closer, she saw the chain dangling from his chest. "So, you really are a ghost. I've never met one in person before."

"Huh? Oh…yeah. I guess I am dead," he said dismally. "Well, thanks for helping me out back there. I thought I would have had to crossover already."

Momo stared at him, somewhat confusedly. "Ah well, actually, I'm here to do just that."

"What?" The boy backed away, not knowing who the enemy was here.

"No! Don't be scared," said Momo, putting her hands up. "I'm here to take you to the Soul Society. It's an amazing place; I'm sure you'll like it. You'll be much safer there, too."

The boy looked at her in surprise. "So…I won't disappear?"

"Of course not! No one completely disappears." She walked toward him, and she was glad he did not retreat. "I promise this won't hurt."

The boy remained somewhat apprehensive, but the earnest smile that the girl wore told him she spoke the truth. "So, are you some kind of person that saves souls?" he asked with a slight curve at the corner of his mouth.

"_Ehh_, something like that," she laughed. "There are more of us. Maybe you can become one, too."

"Really? I can do what you do?" he suddenly asked eagerly. She nodded. However, the boy's smile slightly faltered. "Uh, will…will it be lonely there?"

"No, there are tons of people. Who knows? Maybe I'll see you there."

"Yeah?" he smiled. "That'd be nice."

"Okay, you ready?"

"Think so." Momo placed the bottom of her hilt on his forehead. "Oh, so what do I call you?"

"Momo Hinamori. I'm a Soul Reaper," she said as a bright, white light engulfed the two.

"Nice to meet you, Hinamori. I'm Sojiro Kusaka."

* * *

><p><strong>To be continued...<strong>


	8. Ten Years from Now

Epilogue...

* * *

><p><strong>Our Days in Rukongai<strong>

_Chapter 8_

Ten Years from Now

* * *

><p>The bright winter sun seeped through the shutters and cast streams of light across the floor of the Tenth Squad Captain's office. The only sound in the room was the crinkling of paper as the captain placed his copy of Seireitei Communications upon his desk. Leaning back on his seat, he exhaled and absorbed what he had just finished.<p>

Everything was out now. Their life together, up to the point of today. He didn't know how he should feel. He had felt indifferent about the whole thing since the beginning. When Hinamori had asked him if she could write about their past, he had told her that he did not care at all. However, he had never expected for her to write all of it so soon. Now, what they had was not a secret at all. In fact, early that morning, Matsumoto had run into the office just to deliver the paper to him, saying she had already read it all. Not wanting to hear any of her questions or remarks, he had convinced her to leave immediately, telling her to take the rest of the day off out of his own desperation.

He was hardly eager to leave the confines of his office now. It was not like he felt ashamed of what was written; it just felt strange to have an important part of your life as common knowledge. He usually kept his secrets deep within his heart, not even wanting to think of them himself. And now, he had just read it in print. And she had gotten the details down perfectly. He was honestly surprised to find that Hinamori had remembered everything all those decades ago. He would have expected her to remember her academy days the best—that they had been the days she had cherished the most. Perhaps that was not true.

So much has changed since then. Their appearance, their status, and even the distance between them had been ever-growing. Ever since she had left for the academy and ever since he had followed his own path, their lives had stopped running in parallel. But this, their story, had shown they were still connected.

Looking out the window, he saw streaks of clouds shaped in an almost unnatural way. "Is it that time again?"

The transport of the King's Seal from one hiding place to another happened every decade, and to most eyes of the Soul Society, the event was inconspicuous. He wondered which squad was in charge of guarding the transport this time. He was fortunate to avoid such a dull task; hopefully he would not have to be the one to do it next time.

This reminded him of a certain day forty years ago. It was just him, her, and another…another story he had kept hidden.

"Hitsugaya-kun."

By reflex, he shot up from his seat, eyes flashing to the door. "Hinamori…"

* * *

><p>On the streets of the Seireitei, the two walked side by side, catching the stares of fellow Soul Reapers. The news really had spread quickly. Hitsugaya tried looking at the ground, but his white hair was enough to make him a target from a far distance.<p>

"Is it really okay for you to be out? Don't you have paperwork or something?" he asked.

She shook her head. "Captain Aizen gave me the day off."

"Oh, right."

She glanced in his direction but turned her gaze forward, sustaining the silence.

"Rangiku-san told me she gave you a copy of the paper. What did you…think? Um, I wasn't sure if—"

He glanced up from the ground to look at her. "You remembered; that's enough."

"Huh?"

"I mean…it was almost a century ago, but you were still able to tell everything."

She blinked back before a smile formed on her face. "That's what you were concerned about? Of course I would remember. That was the beginning…of everything."

"Hina—"

"Hitsugaya-kun, look!" Hinamori said looking toward the sky. "Is that the King's Seal?"

"A-ah," he replied, following her gaze. "It's still going over the Soul Society." From their distance it looked just like another cloud; however, upon closer observation, smoke from the ceremony could be seen.

"It's just like that time. Nothing has changed," she said. "No, wait," she added with her eyes downcast. "_He's_ not here."

Hitsugaya stared at her for a moment before looking back to the sky. "…Yeah…"

At least _he_ was not completely forgotten. _He_ was still with them, in a way, even after so many years.

Hitsugaya questioned if things would remain the same years from now and how different they would be. It was true that their paths were no longer parallel, but every now and then, they crossed like an intertwining thread. He wondered if they would still be able to look at a sight like this the next time it came.

_Hinamori, where will we be ten years from now? _

* * *

><p>AN: The sequel of Our Days in Rukongai will begin next week. Thanks!


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